Approximately 29.1 million Americans have diabetes, and at least 86 million Americans aged >20 years have prediabetes. Type 2 diabetes was once more common in people aged >45 years, but is now appearing more in young people and children. Although many factors can increase your risk for diabetes, disease onset can be delayed or even prevented. The following tips may help to lower your risk for diabetes.

In a recent interview with Inside Patient Care, Timothy G. Berger, MD, Vice President of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), discussed the role of the academy in patient care and the role of the interprofessional healthcare team in promoting dermatology care and wellness care.

Despite the vast public health impact and individual benefit of immunizations, vaccine uptake among adults and certain population subgroups in the United States is suboptimal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that influenza vaccine coverage during the 2012-2013 flu season for adults was 41.5% and adolescents, 42.5%. Although there are well-known patient barriers to vaccine acceptance, such as patient refusal to get the vaccine, other contributing factors exist that fall within the purview of healthcare systems and providers, including choice of vaccines, reimbursement, and timing of vaccine distribution.

The Case: A 42-year-old man with a history of asthma and chronic lower back pain was admitted to the hospital with community-acquired pneumonia and an asthma exacerbation. His primary care physician (PCP) had been prescribing high doses of long-acting morphine (MS Contin), oxycodone, and gabapentin for his low back pain. He was marginally housed and often slept in shelters.

“I want the country that eliminated polio and mapped the human genome to lead a new era of medicine, one that delivers the right treatment at the right time.” So said the president of the United States in his State of the Union Address on January 20, 2015.